This is the class blog for Eng 1102 at GA Tech called "Fiction, Human Rights, and Social Responsibility." The purpose of this blog is to extend our discussion beyond the classroom and to become aware of human rights issues that exist in the world today and how technology has played a role in either solving or aggravating them. Blogs will be a paragraph long (250 words) and students will contribute once every three weeks according to class number. Entries must be posted by Friday midnight.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Venezuela has no leader

It was about six years ago when Venezuela's president discovered he had cancer and started getting treatment in Cuba. Many times has he claimed he is finally healthy and in condition to do his job as the president of Venezuela. Up until five months ago, this was true. He has been able to stay healthy enough to be able to work. But his condition has finally caught up with him.

Hugo Chavez was reelected president of Venezuela in the last October elections, but when it was time to accept the position as president and start governing, he was in Cuba getting treated because his condition was worse than ever. In the Constitution, it says if the elected president cannot accept the position, then elections have to be made once again. This did not happen. Chavez' party kept claiming his health was getting better and they even said Chavez had accepted the position as president through a letter where he said he was being treated and he'd be better soon and able to go home and work. This did not happen.

Chavez' government is a kind of communism that has brought the country to be worse than it ever before was. Caracas was actually declared one of the top 10 most expensive cities in the world in the last few months. This is because the country is starting to run out of resources. Even buying food is starting to become a difficult task, doesn't matter if you have money or not. Living resources are expensive, now more than ever. The consequence of this was that the currency of the country was devalued a few weeks ago. Not only is his government not being exactly 'successful', but the president is not even there to do something about it.

The government claims everyday that Chavez will be back to work any day now. They keep lying to the people, maybe even to themselves about Chavez's health. Which is not only against their own constitution but also agains the people's rights. They have the right to know the truth about what is happening to their government. If there is no president, they have the right to choose a new one. They shouldn't be lied to.

One of the articles I read was one of the latest claims of the government about Chavez' health. Where the vice president says the opposition is lying, and that the president is fighting for his life. 'He said Chavez's health had suffered because he had dedicated himself "body and soul" to his work as president.' I just wish the people could open their eyes and realize what their situation actually is. Venezuela has so many resources to be one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world. But everything is being wasted.